When we talk about spirituality, it’s usually about the intangibles, like love, gratitude, and peace. All of that is great, but what about more concrete issues? Let’s talk about money.

As a culture, our relationship to money is as complicated as our relationship with food and sex. Some of us think money is the answer to all of our problems. Some of us believe that money is the root of all evil. Many of us believe both things at once. We can all agree though that money is important.

Money itself is neither good nor bad. It is not more spiritual to be poor. Nor does it make you an inherently better person to be rich. It all depends on what you choose to do with the resources you have. Money itself is just an exchange of energy. You earn money for the work you do and pay money to gain the benefits of the work that other people do. Simple. It’s the intentions behind what people do with their money can be kind or malevolent.

Where we get off track is in our beliefs about money. For example, if you have a negative attitude about it, you will bring less of it into your life. If you’re constantly worrying about not having enough money, you will always have money woes, even if you earn a good income because you’re focusing all your energy on scarcity.

The flip side of that is overspending. If you’re spending more money than you have, trying to impress others, or to fill spiritual or emotional gaps with material stuff, you’re also creating scarcity.

Money is like everything else…the more you appreciate what you have, the more you invite it into your life.

There is no shame in wanting enough money to live a happy life. There should also be no guilt if you do have money. Enjoy it and use it well! The key is to be conscious of your thoughts and behaviors and to go back to a place of gratitude.

We’ll go deeper next week into our relationships with money, the limiting beliefs that shape that relationships, and what to do about it. In the mean time, give it some thought. What is your relationship with money? Do you have a clear understanding of how much you need to have a joyful life? What are your beliefs about money and what emotions come up for you when you think about it?